


Convincing Nona

by MaybeItWasMemphis



Series: Diana & Nona [2]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Disorder, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Lemon, Romance, Shyness, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:01:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 10,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22215979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaybeItWasMemphis/pseuds/MaybeItWasMemphis
Summary: Nona Britton has always felt second best to her older, more accomplished big sister, Diana...even though Diana has never done anything to make her feel that way. No, her low self-esteem was all her father's doing.When Diana meets the love of her love in the form of an older FBI agent, Nona is thrown into the path of his co-worker, Dr. Spencer Reid.Spencer is sweet and scary smart, if not a little introverted. He's also hell-bent on forcing her to see her own worth.Can Spencer convince Nona that she's worth keeping forever?REPOST FROM MY OLD ACCOUNT
Relationships: Background Dave/OFC, Background Morgan/Garcia, Spencer Reid/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Diana & Nona [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1599193
Kudos: 45





	1. Nona

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own and I am not affiliated in any way with the television show Criminal Minds. CM is owned by CBS. I just like to borrow their characters from time to time.
> 
> Author's Note: This is the sister fic to Principessa Diana. You don't have to read that story to read this one. If you are reading both, read Principessa Diana first or...spoilers sweetie.

_Do people ever get over being shy? I think it’s with you for life – like the color of your eyes.”_

**\- Marilyn Monroe**

“Alright, class,” I got the attention of the fifteen students in my charge. “I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Remember, when class resumes, I expect a two-page report on my desk about what you were most thankful this year...single-spaced and written in pencil.” I instructed.

I smiled a little to myself as I watched my class file out of the room. If there was one thing I loved about my life it was my job. I taught fifth grade at the _St. Francis Xavier School_ in Washington, D.C. While my lawyer father would have preferred that I teach at some highbrow prep school in New England, _St. Francis_ suited me just fine. I never had to pay for my own supplies, the textbooks and equipment were up to date, and the class sizes were manageable. It was a million times better of a work environment than my brief stint teaching in the public school system in my native Florida when I had been just out of college.

As I went about gathering my things for the afternoon staff meeting, the phone on my desk started ringing.

“Miss Britton's classroom,” I answered distractedly as I gathered up some test results that needed to be handed into the school's principal, Father Gibson.

“Hey there, little sister.” Chirped the cheerful voice of my older sister, Diana. God, she had been so annoyingly happy ever she had gotten married.

“What do you need, Di?” I asked impatiently. “I have a staff meeting to get to before I can leave for the holidays.”

“I wanted to see what your plans are for Thanksgiving?”

I really didn't have any. Our little brother, Apollo, was in Europe with his boyfriend of the month. Our dad had the Asshole of the Year award for the past sixty-six years in a row and had just married wife number six. I certainly didn't want to spend turkey day with him. Our mom had died years ago when Apollo was just a baby. I didn't really have a lot of options if I didn't want to be alone.

“I don't have any as of yet,” I told her truthfully. “I'm certainly not going to spend it in Florida with dad and Golddigger Barbie.” Women didn't keep marrying my father for his looks. They married him for the fortune he had amassed as a top rated criminal defense attorney.

“I kinda figured.” Diana giggled. “Dave and I are heading up to the cabin in Little Creek with a friend of his from work.” Diana's husband, Dave, was an FBI agent on top of being a bestselling author...just like my big sister.

“I'll be there.” I rushed her off the phone so I wasn't late for the staff meeting. For a priest, Father Gibson could get really pissed off when people weren't on time.


	2. Spencer

As I parked my Volvo next to Rossi's SUV and a newer model Chevy Impala, I took a deep breath. I didn't want to be here. I wanted to be in Vegas, spending Thanksgiving with my mom but, for all my considerable intelligence, I had waited until the last possible moment to attempt to book a flight. Long story short, I couldn't get a seat on any airline and somehow allowed Rossi to convince me to spend the week of Thanksgiving with him and his new wife at their cabin in Little Creek, Virgina.

I grabbed my duffel bag out of the trunk and trudged up the steps to ring the doorbell. As I waited, I took a step back to take a good look at the cabin. Did David Rossi not know what a cabin was? This place was two-stories high, had a satellite dish on the roof, and actually looked bigger than the senior FBI agent's D.C. area condo.

When the heavy wooden door opened, I was met with a sight of a beautiful woman...that I had met before. She had dark blonde hair and big honey-brown eyes. Of average height and build, her name was Nona Britton. She was the twenty-six-year-old younger sister of Rossi's wife, Diana. I had met her at their wedding; had even danced with her...because Morgan had noticed me staring at her and has asked her for my, much to my embarrassment. She was an elementary school teacher at a Catholic school in D.C. and was the sweet and shy daughter of a nationally famous criminal defense attorney.

“Hey, Spencer,” She smiled brightly at me. “I didn't know that you were the friend of Dave's spending Thanksgiving with us.”

Yeah, Rossi had neglected to tell me that she was going to be there as well. I had a feeling that this had been by design. After a case a few weeks earlier, the team had gone out for a few drinks. After one too many beers, I had gotten WAY too talkative. I had ended up admitting to Rossi that I hadn't been able to get Nona out of my head since his September wedding. Since then, Rossi had tried to give me the slightly younger woman's number on multiple occasions but I always brushed him off. While I didn't have the problem getting women that Morgan seemed to think I did, I also knew that Nona was _way_ out of my league.

“It's good to see you again, Nona,” I told her sincerely as she stepped aside to allow me to enter. “I didn't know you were going to be here either. How have you been?” I asked as I stepped into the small entrance hall. What the hell kind of cabin had an entrance hall?

“I've been good.” She stopped and put her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. “And I actually didn't know that I was coming until a few days ago.”

That means that Rossi had a few days to give me a heads up. I started looking around for the older man. Me and him seriously needed to have a conversation.


	3. Nona

While Dave was showing Spencer around the property, I was pacing back and forth in front of the sleigh bed in the guest room that Diana had assigned me when we had arrived. I was having a slight anxiety attack and mentally plotting the deaths of my sister and brother-in-law.

Spending a week cooped up in a remote cabin (no matter how ridiculously luxurious) with Dr. Spencer Reid was a nightmare that was coming true. I had met him at Dave and Diana's wedding. He was an uber genius that worked with Dave at the FBI. He was also the perfect mixture of geek and sexy that I found irresistible. He knew all there was to know about my all-time favorite TV show, Doctor Who. He even agreed that Matt Smith (bowties are cool) was the best Doctor to ever step foot in the TARDIS. He was sexy as hell... at least to me. I knew that he wasn't for everyone but the expressive eyes, crooked smile, and slightly long unkempt dirty-blond hair was very appealing to me. The way he was so quiet that I thought he was shy at first only to be amazed when he asked me to dance and held me with so much authority and possessiveness.... turned me on in a way that I didn't think was possible.

A knock on the door made me jump.

“Come in!” I called out.

The door opened and Diana entered... looking guilty.

“Dinner's almost done,” she told me, closing the door. “Dave has the steaks on the grill.”

I glared at her. “You are on my shit list and so is Dave.”

I had told my big sister all about my crush on Spencer. This was all her doing and Dave was so in love with her that he was going along with it... of this I was certain. I knew that Diana shared everything with her husband. There was no way Dave didn't know how I felt about his co-worker.

“He couldn't get a flight home to Vegas... we didn't want him to be alone,” Diana defended as she took a seat on the edge of the bed.

While I knew that both my sister and her husband were very caring people, she didn't fool me for a second. She could have called and warned me that he was coming or said something on the drive up but she hadn't said a damn word. “You could have told me he was coming,” I pointed out.

“I told you a friend of Dave's from work was coming,” she countered.

She was right. She had told me that. She just hadn't given me a name... and I hadn't thought to ask for one. Damn it! I hated it when I couldn't win an argument.


	4. Spencer

“You're pure evil, Rossi.” I shoved my hands into the pockets of my tan slacks and glared at the older man. “Diana too. She's the Persephone to your Hades.”

It was a rather warm November evening so Dave was grilling everyone steaks for dinner on the back porch of the cabin. He chuckled. “Wrong kid. Persephone loathed Hades. Diana loves me,” he said smugly and with more than a little lovesickness in his tone. Oh, how the Italian lothario had fallen... and hard.

“You could have given me a heads up that Nona was coming.” I glared at him.

“If I had told you she was coming you wouldn't have,” Dave smirked.

“Rossi, you know how I feel about her,” I accused as I leaned back against the wooden railing of the porch. “She is way out of my league.”

“So?” His boss shrugged as he flipped the steaks. “Diana's twenty years younger than me and is way out of my league. Doesn't mean that she isn't capable of being attracted to me.”

Rossi was doing that annoying thing where he used his own life to point out things I should be paying attention to in my life. I needed to make sure I was understanding what he was subtly trying to tell me before I went and made a fool out of myself. “Are you saying that Nona's attracted to me?” I asked, probably a little too hopefully.

“That's what she told Diana after the wedding,” Dave confirmed.

I was... blown away that a woman like Nona would even look twice at a guy like me. She came from a prominent family, was well educated, and was beautiful enough to be a cover model on one of those Victoria's Secret catalogs that Morgan kept hidden in his desk. I was also a bit befuddled. Why didn't Nona just tell me that she liked me? I mean, look at me. What were the chances that a guy like me would turn down a woman like her? Zero. The answer was that there was zero chance. “Why hasn't she said anything to me?”

“Why haven't you said anything to her?” Dave countered.

“I already told you... because she's out of my...” I trailed off when it hit me. “You're joking? She thinks I'm too good for her?” This had to be one of Morgan's pranks and Rossi was in on it. If it was, I'll be the first to admit that it was epic but I would kill Morgan the next time I saw him.

“Nona doesn't see herself... clearly,” Dave explained as he shut off the grill. “She thinks that compared to Diana, she's the ugly sister.” He started piling steaks onto a plate. “Her asshole father has spent her whole life telling her that she isn't as good as Diana. It's never stopped the two of them from being close but it's killed the poor girl's self-esteem.”

That night at the dinner table, I paid extra close attention to Nona; profiled her really. She was seated across from me at the table and she tried her damnedest not to make eye contact... and when she did, she would start chewing on her bottom lip and look away as quickly as possible. When our hands brushed together reaching for the salt, I saw the goosebumps that formed on the skin of her arm before she swiftly pulled her hand back into her lap.

After dinner, to be polite to our hosts, we both cleared the table and did the washing up. When we were alone together in the kitchen, I complimented the pretty orange sweater dress she was wearing and she turned beet red. Dave was right. She was attracted to me. If he was also correct about her self-esteem, I would have to be the one to make the first move.

With a kiss to her cheek that I know took her by surprise, I bid her, Dave, and Diana good night and retreated to my guest room to come up with a plan of action. Maybe Thanksgiving wouldn't be so bad this year after all.


	5. Nona

The next day I woke up feeling very confused. The previous night at dinner – and after – it sure seemed like Spencer was flirting with me. That had to be all in my head, right? Wishful thinking. There was no way a good-looking FBI agent/uber genius would be interested in mousy looking, school teacher me.

Walking downstairs and into the kitchen in search of coffee, I found Spencer seated at the kitchen table with a mug already in front of him... and he was alone.

“Where's Diana and Dave?” I put a friendly smile on my face as I made my way over to the coffee pot. As I knew there would be, there was a clean mug sitting on the counter in front of it. Ever since we were teenagers, Diana would always rise earlier and set up the coffee pot, something neither one of us could function without.

“Shopping for Thanksgiving dinner and Dave said something about getting a Christmas tree,” Spencer said with a confused look on his face.

I laughed as I poured myself a black cup of coffee and moved to join him at the table. “Family tradition,” I explained as I took a seat across from him. “We always decorate the Christmas tree the week of Thanksgiving.”

“Shouldn't you finish one holiday before you start another?” Spencer asked as he pushed a basket of freshly baked muffins towards me. Oh, yeah, Diana and Dave had totally planned this. My sister didn't make her famous banana nut muffins and leave them behind for no good reason.

“Of course not,” I grabbed a muffin out of the basket. “My mom believed it just made sure the celebration lasted longer. We started decorating for Thanksgiving the day after Halloween and left everything up until the day after New Years.”

“Your mom sounds like a unique woman,” he chuckled.

“Yeah... she was,” I said sadly, suddenly losing my appetite. Over a decade after her death and it still hurt to think about my mom.

“My mom's a paranoid schizophrenic living in a mental hospital in Las Vegas.” Spencer surprised me by sharing. “I had planned on spending Thanksgiving with her but I waited too long to book a flight.”

“I'm sorry,” I smiled and told him sincerely.

“It's okay, I'm not as disappointed as I was before.” He shook his head.

“Why's that?” I asked curiously.

“Because, if I can't be with my mom, I at least get to spend the holiday with you.” There was playful smirk playing on his lips and I now had zero doubt that he was flirting with me. Now, I had a whole new problem... I didn't know how to flirt back! Britton women were known for our awkwardness, not our powers of seduction.

I was saved from having to respond by the sound of the front door slamming open as if a small child had just come barreling through it. “BABY BROTHER IN THE HOUSE!”

Nope. Not a child, just a nineteen-year-old that acted like one.

Groaning in annoyance, I got to my feet; Spencer following me. What the hell was Apollo doing here? Last we had spoken, he was in Scotland with some guy named Brice, who apparently was the love of my little brother's life. Seeing as Brice was the fourth man in two years to wear this title, I didn't take Apollo's words too seriously. He was young and fell in love easily. I would believe it when I saw either a ring or a marriage licence.

I found my brother standing in the entrance hallway. He was wearing a big grin on his face and was holding hands with a good looking sandy-haired man who had to be twice his age. I could have sworn I'd seen him somewhere before.

“Pooh Bear, what are you doing here?” I walked over for a hug. Even if he could grate on my nerves like no one else, Apollo was still my baby brother and I was always happy to see him.

“The music festival in London we were planning on going to was canceled so I thought I would bring Brice for his first Thanksgiving.” Apollo returned my hug before stepping back to make introductions. “Brice, this is my big sister, Nona. Nona, this is my partner, Brice.”

Hold the freakin' phone... had Apollo just called Brice his 'partner'? He NEVER did that! It was always 'boyfriend'. Had the silent man before me actually managed to tame my spazoid brother? Deciding that I was going to do everything in my power to make this miracle worker feel welcome, I ignored his outstretched hand and pulled him in for a quick hug. “It's so great to meet you, Brice. Apollo's told me a lot about you.” I ignored the confused look Apollo shot me at how friendly I was being and turned to look at Spencer. “This is Spencer. He's a friend that works with Dave at the FBI.” I introduced lamely as I was still trying to figure out where I knew Brice from.

“Aren't you the guy who played Node 2 in the _Doctor Who_ episode, ' _Silence in the Library_ '? That was Spencer's way of introducing himself.

“Thank you!” Bless Spencer and his eidetic memory. That would have driven me crazy all day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brice Barclay does not exist... that I know of. There was never a character on Doctor Who with that name, I checked. Josh Dallas played Node 2 in the episode, 'Silence in the Library'.


	6. Spencer

The Britton siblings were an interesting mix I decided after spending an afternoon in their company decorating a Christmas tree.

There was Diana, who was both incredibly organized and extremely introverted. The only time she really opened up was around Rossi or her siblings. If she got caught alone with me or Brice, she clammed up and become politely aloof.

Next came Apollo... who was a real character. Where both of his sisters were quiet and shy, he was loud and seemed to love being the center of attention. It was kind of funny because his partner, Brice, was the type of person to retreat into the background. Oddly enough, for two vastly different people, they seemed to fit together perfectly as a couple.

Finally came Nona, a girl so beautiful, sweet, and smart that she could have any man she wanted but was so insecure that she thought she was plain or average looking at best. She was clearly interested in me, one didn't need to be a genius to see that (once Rossi had pointed out to me), but she seemed to be incapable of doing anything about it.

I had just decided to make my move when Rossi decided to give us both a little push... with a little help from Morgan and Garcia.

“Nona, Reid,” he got our attention from where he was helping his wife string lights on the Christmas tree. “I need a favor from you two...”

The woman of my affections and I shared a curious look before I asked, “what kind of favor?”

“Morgan and Garcia missed their flight to Chicago. Garcia's truck is in the shop and Morgan's Escalade just bit the dust. Could you two go and pick them up and bring them back here? Nona, I'm asking you to go because I don't want poor Penny to be stuck in a car with Thing 1 and Thing 2.” Rossi spoke so innocently but it was easy to see his true motive. He wasn't a criminal profiler for nothing.

“Sure,” Nona blushed and nodded. “If Spencer doesn't mind, of course.”

We were almost two hours outside of D.C. That meant that I got two hours, at least, alone with Nona.

“I don't mind,” I shook my head.

Dave lent us his SUV for the drive and Nona and I got on the road. Morgan and Garcia had taken a cab back to Morgan's place to wait for us so they weren't stranded and we weren't in any kind of a rush.

“I'm sorry about Dave and Diana,” Nona finally spoke up after we had been on the road for about half an hour. “I don't know why they keep trying to force us together.”

“Probably because I let it slip to Dave that I liked you.” I watched her reaction out of the corner of my eye as I drove.

Nona didn't disappoint. Her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head and she opened and closed her mouth a few times without actually speaking.

Figuring that Morgan and Garcia were adults who could handle waiting a few extra minutes for their ride, I pulled off the road into one of those scenic overlook areas that were designed for tourists and put the car in park.

“If you don't like me back, that's completely okay.” It wouldn't be the first time I'd read a social situation wrong and been shot down by a woman.

“No, I like you too!” Nona said in a rush before turning red. “I'm just not like Diana. I'm not very good at things like this.”

I studied her face for any sign that she was being humorous but I found none. “Diana suffers from severe introversion and pathological shyness,” I pointed out. Rossi had even admitted that he pretty much had to stalk the woman in order for her to give him a chance in the early days of their relationship.

“So what does that say about me?” Nona gave a weak chuckle.

I found myself wanting to meet Mitchell Britton. I wanted to meet the man who, according to Rossi, had treated his daughters so poorly that they had almost zero self-esteem. If Morgan happened to be with him during the meeting and pulled his tough-guy, Rambo routine, he wouldn't complain one bit.

“I think it says that you are an incredible woman who underestimates herself.” I turned so I could look at her. “Can I propose an experiment?” I had a sudden (stolen) idea.

“Okay...?”

“For the rest of the week, until our vacation is over, you be my girlfriend. At the end of the week, you can decide if you want us to stay together or not.” It was the exact same tactic that Rossi had used to win over Diana but – hey – it had already been proven effective.

“Wha... what about you?” I was pretty sure that Nona had created her own race at this point, red.

“I'm a genius.” I shot her what I hoped was a good imitation of one of Morgan's flirty smiles. “I've already considered all the variables and, no matter the outcome, I've come to the conclusion that we're more than compatible and I want to be with you.” Now that was a line I'm sure the great Derek Morgan had never used on a woman before. Sheldon Cooper, maybe, but not Morgan.

“Okay,” she bit her lip and nodded, “we can give it a try.”

Taking a risk, I leaned across the seat and stole a quick kiss. Because Nona wasn't expecting it, it ended up being chaste and kind of clumsy... sort of like the two of us which made it kind of perfect in my book.

When we finally arrived in D.C. and I reintroduced Nona to Morgan and Garcia as my girlfriend, I couldn't keep the smug smile off my face when Morgan leaned over and whispered, “nice catch, pretty boy.”

When we arrived back at the cabin, Rossi noticed the relationship shift and commented, “that must have been one hell of a car ride.” This only made my smile grow wider.


	7. Nona

We didn't arrive back at the cabin until well after eleven. Everyone was about to turn in for the night when the house phone rang. Diana stepped out of the room to answer it and when my older sister returned, she had a grim look on her face. For a moment, I was actually scared that someone in the family had died.

“So...” Diana nervously picked at her fingernails. “Dad and Nicolette will be here tomorrow.”

“You've got to be kidding me,” I groaned at the same moment that Apollo called from across the room, “is that a joke?”

“No joke,” Diana shook her head. “They'll be here around four.”

“Why would they even think to come here?” I eyed my sister suspiciously.

“Because I invited them?” I wasn't sure if she was asking or telling us. “But in my defense, I've been inviting Dad to holidays ever since I moved out on my own and he's never accepted before. It was kind of just a habit at this point.”

Dave moved to stand beside Diana and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Looks like we're going to have a full house for the rest of the week. We're gonna need an extra guest room. Reid, you don't mind moving in with Nona, do you? That way it's a couple to each bedroom.”

Crazy brother-in-law says what? Spencer and I were seated on the couch and he had his arm around my shoulders. “I don't mind sharing if you don't,” he looked down and gave me a gentle squeeze. We were seated side by side on the couch and he had his arm around me.

“Su... sure,” I tripped over my one-word response.

By some sort of unspoken agreement, we waited to head upstairs until the rest of the group had already made their way to their rooms.

“Nona,” Spencer said my name softly to get my attention. He waited until my eyes met his before he continued speaking. “I don't expect anything to happen just because we're sharing a bed, sweetheart.” My belly warmed when he called me that. “If you want, I can wait until tomorrow to move in with you; give you one more night to yourself.”

Relieved to know that we were both on the same page about taking things slowly, I shook my head and smiled. “No, you don't have to do that. It's fine.”

“You sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable, sweetheart.” He reached up and brushed a piece of stray hair out of my eyes.

“I'm sure. I'm comfortable with you, Spencer,” I assured him.

“Good.” He leaned down and pecked my lips before getting to his feet. “Come on,” and he held out his hand for me. “Let's go to bed. I'm beat.”


	8. Spencer

As we both took turns in the bathroom and went about our nightly routines, I could tell that Nona was distracted... and it wasn't by me. Once I had told her that I wasn't expecting sex from her, she had once again relaxed in my presence.

We settled in bed and I once again took a play out of Morgan's metaphorical playbook. I lightly tugged on the sleeve of Nona's pajama top. I was a little surprised when it worked and, taking the hint, she moved closer and laid her head on my t-shirt-clad chest. “What's bothering you, sweetheart?” I took a risk and asked as I lightly ran my fingertips up and down her spine. It felt so good to hold her in my arms. I knew that it was illogical but it felt like this was exactly where she was supposed to be.

“I thought I had at least until Christmas until I had to deal with my father and the wife of the week,” she spoke into my shirt and she spoke bitterly.

“You don't get along with your dad, do you, Nona?” I asked in an attempt to get her to open up. Keeping everything to herself wasn't healthy.

“Diana's the perfect one,” her voice was monotone. “I'm the underachiever and Apollo's the embarrassment, the one we don't talk about. We all have our roles in the Britton family... and dear old dad reminds us every time we see him.”

“Diana's perfect because she's a bestselling author, Apollo's an embarrassment because he's gay and a free spirit,” I ticked off aloud. “Why are you the underachiever?”

“Because I had a 4.0 GPA all through school and was valedictorian in both high school and college. I could have been a doctor or lawyer but I'm nothing but a teacher,” her voice grew meeker and sadder. All I wanted to do was make her feel better.

“Hey,” I tapped her hip lightly. “Without teachers, people like Diana wouldn't exist... and weird genius's like me would have no one to eat lunch with every day.”

That drew a laugh from her and she finally picked her head up to look at me. “Thanks, Spencer,” she laid a kiss on my cheek. “You're pretty awesome, you know that?” She smiled brightly at me and a surge of pride shot through me. I had put that pretty smile on her face.

“I'm glad you think so,” I reached up and stroked her cheek, “because I find you pretty amazing.” I drew her down to me for a soft kiss. When we parted, I tucked a piece of her long hair behind her ear. “Don't worry about your dad, sweetheart. I'll be with you the whole time and you know that Diana and Apollo have your back... Dave too.”

“I know.” Nona snuggled back down in my arms and my heart warmed because I knew she was speaking the truth. She trusted me to look out for her and I was determined not to let her down.


	9. Nona

I woke up the next morning in Spencer's arms. With my lanky boyfriend spooned up against my back with his arm possessively wrapped around my waist, I felt happy and safe... until I remembered my dad and new stepmother were coming.

“Sweetheart, relax.” The arm that was around my waist tightened as Spencer laid a soft kiss on my neck.

I turned in his arms to face him. “How'd you know that I was awake?”

He smiled sleepily. “You were all nice and relaxed but when you woke up you went stiff.” He dropped a sweet kiss on my lips.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Have I mentioned how much I'm dreading today?”

“Yeah, you did,” he chuckled. “And I told you that you had nothing to worry about because I'll be with you the whole time.”

I smiled at him before leaning up for another kiss. I was starting to think that I wanted Spencer in my life for much longer than just a week but... how did I tell him that?

Dad was punctual as usual, showing up at the front door at preciously four. Diana, Apollo, and I were pleasantly surprised to discover that our new stepmother, Nicolette, was actually a lovely woman with a career and money of her own. She was an emergency room doctor. Unfortunately, as nice as she was, Dad was still Dad.

“So,” Dad started as he eyed Spencer critically as we all sat in the living room. “What do you do for a living, boy?”

“Well, sir,” Spencer cleared his throat. “I'm a criminal profiler for the FBI. I work with Dave, Derek, and Penelope.”

“Is this the genius kid you were telling me about, Dave?”

“Yep,” Dave took a sip of his scotch. “Reid's one hell of an agent.”

“You would think that with all of those degrees you'd be working for NASA or something,” Dad said dismissively.

“Not everyone's as concerned with money and fame as you are, Dad,” Diana snapped.

“Yeah, some people actually like to help their fellow man,” Apollo chimed in. “We know it's a strange concept for you.”

And with that last comment, the conversation escalated into a full-blown screaming match between Dad, Apollo, and Diana. I stayed out of it, as usual, no good ever came from beating a dead horse. Dad was never going to change so why keep trying? Dave and Nicolette convinced my dad and siblings to take their argument outside while they tried to defuse the situation.

This left me in the living room with Spencer, Brice, Derek, and Penelope... and a whole lot of uncomfortable silence.

“Welcome to the Britton family…” Brice put on American accent and started imitating Drew Carey from _‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’_ “Where the loudest person wins and logic doesn't matter.”

That broke the tension and made everyone laugh. It also convinced me that we were keeping Brice... no matter what Apollo said.


	10. Spencer

To say that I didn't like Nona's father would be like saying that Socrates only got a little sick after drinking that hemlock. I tend to think cursing only shows a lack of an educated vocabulary but the only term that seemed to fit was fucking bastard. Mr. Britton was a fucking bastard. The way he treated his children was emotionally abusive. It didn't matter they were adults. I shuttered to think of the type of childhood that Nona and her siblings must have endured. I now completely understood why the Britton children were the way that they were.

Watching through the window, I saw Mr. Britton say something and Diana burst out in tears. This incensed Apollo who started screaming at his father. Dave put a hand on the younger man's shoulder to get him to take a step back.

“Brice, I think this is our cue.” Nona got her brother's partner's attention.

“I do believe you're correct, lass.” The man in question got to his feet.

“Be back... eventually.” Nona gave me a smile of apology.

I gave her a reassuring smile in return. “I'll be here, sweetheart.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me for a quick kiss before I was forced to release her to the madness outside. I got to my feet and went to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of coffee. Morgan followed me. I noticed my best friend giving me a strange look. “What?”

“When in the hell did you get game, pretty boy?” The look on the man's face could only be described as incredulous.

“What are you talking about?” I opened the fridge to grab some half and half. “I do not, nor will I ever have game.”

“If you don't have game, what's with all this 'sweetheart' and kisses and cuddles junk?” Morgan challenged, leaning back against the counter with his arms crossed.

“When you're with Garcia, is all that flirting and 'baby girl' stuff all an act?” I shot back, setting the half and half on the counter beside the taller man and turning to face him.

“What? Man, no,” Morgan shook his head. “I treat her that way because I love her and –”

“That's the way she deserves to be treated,” I finished for him. “Hate to break it to you, Derek, but if it all isn't some act that means you really don't have game either. You're not playing her. You love her, you said it yourself.”

I could almost see Morgan's ego deflating. Then, he decided to exact his revenge. “Fine, I don't have game, that's cool. I got baby girl, so who needs game?” Morgan smirked evilly. “Besides, you're the one who just pretty much admitted he was in love.”

Damn. He was right.


	11. Nona

It had taken me, Brice, and Dave a good hour to get everyone to calm down and be civil to one another. Unfortunately, the hour that Dave spent helping me and Brice keep the Britton family from killing each other was an hour that he spent not watching the lobster and potatoes that were cooking in the oven. Dinner was very, very rubbery that night.

“So, you ready to run for the hills yet?” I couldn't help but ask. Spencer and I had ducked out after dinner to take a sunset stroll on the nature path being the cabin that led to the lake.

“Actually,” Spencer reached over and took my hand, interlocking our fingers. “Morgan and I were just talking about how much I didn't want to do that.”

“Do I even want to know why you were talking to Morgan about us?” That was weird...wasn't it?

“I was delivering a healthy, and much needed, blow to his ego during which he was kind enough to make me realize something.” He gave my hand a little squeeze.

I couldn't help but laugh a little. “You know, Spencer, sometimes you talk more like a teacher than I do.” Sometimes he reminded me of Sheldon from 'The Big Bang Theory' with the geek and social awkwardness dialed down a few notches.

Spencer laughed before coming to a stop and pulling me to stand in front of him. “Aren't you curious what I realized?”

I simply nodded.

“I realized that I don't want to give you up at the end of the week. I want to still be with you back in D.C.” He reached up and brushed some of my hair out of my face. He really hadn't needed to. The cool, fresh autumn evening air had been doing a pretty good job of keeping my hair at bay.

“I want that too,” I admitted and I felt my cheeks warm, informing me that I was blushing. “I was really worried that meeting my dad was going to turn you off the idea.”

“No chance,” Spencer shook his head and smiled. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. “I'm already going to hate going to bed alone at night. It would be even worse to think I'd never get to fall asleep with you in my arms ever again.”

My boyfriend could really sound like the male lead from a Nora Ephron film sometimes and, surprisingly, I actually loved it. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I don't think you're going to have to worry about the sleeping alone thing. I'm gonna end up spending so many nights with you that you're going to get sick of me.”

“Yeah, that will never happen.” He kissed me softly as the wind kicked up, making it feel twenty degrees colder than it actually was. I was Florida born and raised so I wasn't used to cold weather. No matter how many years I spent in D.C. I had never come to like the winter time. “On that note, we should probably head back before we catch our death.”


	12. Spencer

The moment Nona's father had retired to bed, everyone, Mr. Britton's wife included, made a B-line for the mini bar in the living room. 

Nicollette raised her glass of red wine as everyone sat around Dave's den “I just want to say I'm sorry for my husband's behavior today. I swear to all of you that he doesn't behave like that behind closed doors with me.”

“You think, next time, you can bring that dude?” Apollo's tone was dry. “I've never met him before.”

“We don't blame you,” Diana assured her latest stepmother. I had noticed that all three Britton siblings had a genuine affection for the doctor.

“This is just the way its always been in this family,” Nona shrugged as she returned to the den with her second gin and tonic in an hour and sat beside me on the piano bench.

“Not for much longer if I have any say in the matter.” Nicollette downed the rest of her glass of wine and got to her feet. “If you all would excuse me for the night, I need to go and have a long conversation with my husband about what family means. I think he may be a touch confused.”

Brice wrapped his arm around Apollo's shoulders. “Love, I believe your stepmother's about to put her foot up your da's arse.”

Apollo laughed. “I do believe you are correct.” He got to his feet. “I'm gonna go listen.” He headed for the stairs.

Both Nona and Diana made moves as though they were going to go and get him but Brice held up his hand. “He's my partner, I'll go and babysit him. You two lasses take a break.” He took got to his feet and left out in the same direction that Apollo had gone.

“We're making sure Apollo marries that guy, right?” Dave said seriously from beside Diana on the couch.

He was 100% serious and the room erupted with laughter.

“What?” Dave was confused. 

“When did you become the Britton family matchmaker?” I couldn't help but ask.

“Yeah,” Garcia piped up from where she sat between Morgan's legs on the carpet while he reclined against the couch. “First Nona and Reid and now you're planning Apollo and Brice's wedding. Cupid's Greek, not Italian, just so you know, boss man.”

Dave looked a little sheepish as he wrapped one arm around his wife and kissed her temple. “Maybe I just want my brother and sister-in-law to be as happy as I am with their sister.”

It was a sickeningly sweet sentiment but I could tell that Dave meant it. It also had the effect of making Diana turn and look at Dave like he held the moon and the stars.

Nona, a little buzzed, chose that moment to cuddle into my side as I instinctively wrapped my arm around her and kissed the top of her head. I wasn't going to contribute any more to the conversation. Dave's matchmaking had served me very well. I wasn't about to lodge any complaints.


	13. Nona

“How are you holding up, sweetheart?”

Spencer and I were alone in our guest room. Spencer was already in bed and I was just crawling into to join him after brushing my teeth. “I've been better but I'll survive,” I assured him as I cuddled up to him as he pulled the comforter up and over us.

“I want you to do more than just survive, Nona,” he kissed my forehead. “I want you to be happy.”

“I've had far worse holidays,” I chuckled and sat up a little to look at him. “I'm able to survive this one because I not only have my siblings and Dave but I also have you. You make me happy, Spence.” He made me way happier than I thought a man was capable of making me feel.

Spencer reached up and brushed some of my hair away from my face. “There's something that I need to tell you, Nona, but I'm unsure of what your reaction is going to be.”

Well. That sounded fairly ominous. “What is it, Spence?” It was against my better judgment to ask but if it was important than I needed to know.

Spencer caught my hand with his and moved it to rest, palm down, over his heart. I could actually feel the thumping in his chest. He was nervous. “I love you, Nona – I'm in love with you.”

While Spencer's heart was beating wildly out of control, mine damn near stopped. “Yo...you...lo...love me,” I stuttered.

“I do, year,” he nodded. “While it's a feeling that I am unused to feeling it is one that I am familiar with. I love you.”

“I've never had a man tell me he loved me before,” I admitted pathetically. “I'm not sure what to do right now.”

Spencer smiled warmly before leaning down and softly kissing me. “Well, do you love me back?”

I nodded and blushed.

He kissed me again. “Now would be a really good time to tell me.”

I giggled happily. “I love you, Spencer.”

Spencer surprised me when he rolled to lay between my thighs after pushing me to lay down. “I love you too, Nona.” I could feel him growing harder through the thin fabrics of his pajama pants and my panties. “Sweetheart,” he spoke against my lips, “may I make love to you?”

I moaned unwittingly and nodded. “Yes.”


	14. Spencer

As my lips slowly kissed up her shoulder and neck, Nona was literally trembling beneath me. I paused my ministrations and pulled back to look at her. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”

“It's fine.” Nona gave a nervous giggle and averted her gaze. “It's just been a while, that's all.”

I reached out and stroked her cheek. “How long?”

“I've been celibate since my freshman year in college.” When Nona blushed her whole body turned red. I knew this because she lay beneath me in nothing but her panties.

“Nona, look at me sweetheart,” I demanded and waited until her brown eyes met mine to continue speaking. “You're only the third woman that I've ever been with. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Finally, Nona smiled and ran her hand up my bare chest as I tried to hold back a groan. “I really do love you, Spencer.”

“I really love you too, Nona.” I leaned down and slowly kissed her. When I felt her completely relax beneath me, I let my hands wander down to lightly squeeze her breasts as I ground myself against her. 

“Spencer,” Nona moaned as I felt her hand find its way into my boxers and she wrapped her hand around my cock. “I really want you inside me.”

After that, everything became a primal haze of pleasure. The next thing I knew I was lying panting and spent with the woman of my dreams laying in my arms. “Holy shit.” Not my usual choice of words but they'd have to do because I couldn't come up with anything smart or witty. My brain was pretty much turned off for the first time in my life. I'd had sex before but nothing could have prepared me for what I had just experienced. Making love to Nona had finally made me understand the meaning of heaven on earth. I had an addictive personality and I knew that I was never going to be able to get enough of her after this.

Nona giggled and kissed my chest. “That's one way of putting it. I don't remember the last time that I was this relaxed.”

“We are definitely doing that more often,” I tightened my arms around her. “I'm thinking every night that I'm in town.”

“You won't hear me complaining.” Nona yawned and cuddled in closer, throwing her leg over mine and wrapping her arm around my waist.

I wondered if she was truly serious. Would Nona really want to share my bed on a regular, nightly basis? Was it too early to have a serious discussion about it? I wasn't about to risk what we had by opening my big mouth. I needed to talk to Morgan or Rossi. I needed some advice from another man, preferably one who was successful in the romance department. Rossi had landed Diana and Morgan and Garcia had been going strong for over two years. They obviously knew what they were doing. “I love you, Nona.” I kissed her forehead. 

“Love you too, Spencer.” I heard Nona's yawn although I couldn't see it. “Night.”

“Night, sweetheart.” I closed my eyes and peacefully drifted off to sleep.


	15. Nona

Dave and Diana's cabin was overflowing with people so I had one hell of a time getting my older sister alone the next morning. I first tried to get her alone by offering to help her do the dishes. That plan was blown when our stepmother and Penelope also volunteered to help with the morning clean-up. Next, I had asked her to put a French braid in my hair. At this point, Apollo had jumped in. I had forgotten in my panic that my little brother was a licensed hairstylist. Finally, I resorted to texting her to meet me (alone) on the back porch. 

“What's going on?” Diana looked confused as she exited the cabin and met me on the porch. 

“I did something really stupid last night.” I ran a hand nervously over my face. 

“What did you do?”

“Spencer.”

“Excuse me?” Diana was looking at me like she'd never seen me before. I couldn't blame her. Sex wasn't a topic that we normally discussed. We were prudes that way.

“I was...with Spencer last night and we didn't use anything. I don't know if we both forgot or if he just assumed that I was on something but, either way, I might be in trouble.” I could feel the heat of embarrassment rushing to my face. 

“Okay,” Diana nodded her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “There's still time to drive into town and get you the morning after pill.”

  
I shook my head. “I'm not sure that I would have the stomach to take it. Would you do it?”

  
“No,” Diana responded immediately. “But I'm also a married woman and I'd be happy to have Dave's baby. Different circumstances.”

  
“I know the situations aren't the same.” I took a deep breath. “I still don't think I can take the morning-after pill.”

“Morning-after pill?”

  
Fuck. I spun around to find Spencer coming up the porch steps with a bundle of firewood that he very quickly dropped and forgot about. 

  
“Nona, do you want me to stay or go?” Diana realized the seriousness of the situation and obviously had my back either way. 

  
“Go,” I nodded towards the door that led inside. “I've got this.”

  
Diana quickly retreated into the house and Spencer surprised me when he strode to my side and wrapped his arms around me. “What's going on, sweetheart? Why would you need the morning after pill?”

  
“Spencer, we weren't safe last night.”


	16. Spencer

_“Spencer, we weren’t safe last night.”_

Those words bounced around in my head a few times before their meaning took root. She was right. We weren’t safe. The inconsiderate male in me had assumed that she had the protection taken care of.

“And instead of coming to me and talking about it, your first thought was to take _Plan B_?” I was hurt. I loved Nona and had told her so. While I would prefer that my girl didn’t take the pull, I would have supported whatever decision she made. It was her body after all and her choice. I just wish she had talked to me first. How could I be there for her when she didn’t talk to me?

“I didn’t actually take it,” Nona shook her head and I sighed a little bit in relief. “I’m just freaked out, Spencer. I’m used to running to Diana when I’m scared. We were just discussing the options when you walked up. I hadn’t made up my mind yet and I would have talked to you before I did anything drastic. I know we’re in this together.”

I couldn’t help but grin as my beautiful girl reassured me. I reached out and grabbed her glove-covered hand, pulling her to me so I could wrap me arms around her and hold her close. “I’m going to love you no matter what you decided to do but I really don’t want you to take _Plan B_. the chances that you’re pregnant are slim and even if you are, I’d be happy about it.”

“Really?” Nona bit her lip and looked at me from beneath her eyelashes and I was quickly reminded of how we ended up in our current predicament.

“Really.” I softly kissed her forehead. “I love you and you love me. You’re an incredibly intelligent, nurturing teacher and I’m a genius with good protective instincts. We could handle raising a child together.” I didn’t even mention that, between family and friends, we had a better than decent support system to help us out if need be. There was no way that Diana and Apollo wouldn’t be involved in the upbringing of their hypothetical niece or nephew. The Britton siblings need and desire to look out for each other seemed to be ingrained in their very DNA. Then you had to facture in Uncle Dave, Uncle Derek, Aunt Penny, and the rest of my team. Even my mother would want to be involved, if only through letters and visits to the hospital once her grandchild was old enough. Any kid of ours would be backed up by one hell of a village.

Nona giggled before she nodded. “Okay, baby, I won’t take it. We’ll let nature decide what happens.”

“Good.” I couldn’t resist leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

***

A few hours later, while Nona was busy with her family, I pulled Rossi aside to talk in his upstairs office that I was unsure why he had in his vacation home.

“What’s up, kid?” Rossi sat behind his desk and lit up a cigar that I knew Diana would have his ass for if she caught him.

“I need your help finding an engagement ring for Nona,” I got right to the point. “I’d like to buy one before Christmas because I have a plan for it.”

“Damn, kid, you work faster than me.” Rossi’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. “You sure about this, Spence? That woman’s like my little sister and, don’t let my sweet, shy wife fool you, you hurt her sister and Diana’s going to hurt you. I can promise you that.”

I nodded my head. “I’m as sure as a man can be in this situation. I’m in love with her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And you and Diana don’t scare me in the least. Not because I don’t believe you’ll have my neck if I screw up but because there’s no part of me that is consciously capable of hurting Nona. I’d kill anyone who tries.”

Rossi nodded and smiled, appeased. “Alright then, what kind of ring are you looking for and what’s your budget look like?”


	17. Nona

After I calmed down, I let myself start enjoying my holiday…as much as my father’s cold and distant behavior would allow. After my stepmother had had words with him, Dad had become even more distant and rude than he normally was. It was his way of punishing all of us. His ultimate kiss-off to us happened on Thanksgiving morning. While the rest of the family and our guests were enjoying breakfast in the dining room, my father had appeared and announced that he had a work emergency and that him and my stepmom were leaving. While Nicolette had been kind of considerate enough to hug us all goodbye and give us each a whispered apology, Dad had departed without saying another word to any of us.

I wish I could say that this behavior was hurtful, but it truly wasn’t. He was the only father that I had ever had. This was the kind of the thing that I had grown used to as a child. It was just another day in the life of the Britton offspring. Truth be told, my dad’s absence had made me, Diana, and Apollo much more relaxed. When we sat down for dinner, I was thankful that my dad had left although I kept that to myself when we went around the table and all announced what we were thankful for.

It was so strange to look around the table and see how much things had changed in a single year. I couldn’t imagine a holiday gathering without Spencer’s arm around my shoulders as we ate dinner, or without Dave’s gourmet cooking or Apollo making googly eyes at Brice. It was odd because the previous year there had only been three of us at the table.

“I was thinking,” Spencer spoke up as we sat alone in the living room Thanksgiving night in the glow of the Christmas tree lights.

“Thinking what?” I looked up at him from my place cuddled up to his chest on the loveseat.

“You have two weeks off for winter break at the end of December…”

“Yeah and? I’ll be back here the week of Christmas.” Dave’s cabin seemed to be becoming a holiday tradition for our family. We didn’t have a parent’s home to gather at like normal people, so the cabin substituted as the family meeting place.

“How about the week before that we take a road trip to North Carolina, just you and me?” The arm that he had wrapped around me tightened a little bit.

“Where in North Carolina?” It seemed like a pretty random destination for a holiday trip.

“When I was a kid, my mom took me to McAdenville. It’s a small suburb of Charlotte in Gaston County that people call Christmas Town USA. The entire town is done up big for the holidays. They even have an electric star of Bethlehem glowing above the town lake and every single house and business is decorated with lights.” I could hear a childlike excitement in Spencer’s tone that was infectious.

“That sounds like a lot of fun, baby.” I smiled and leaned up and kissed him. “I’m in.”


	18. Spencer

** ONE MONTH LATER **

McAddinville, North Carolina, was much the same as I remembered it as a child. The gigantic town Christmas tree still sat in a place of honor in the center of the tiny town. The artificial (obviously) Star of Bethlehem still glowed above the small man-made lake, and all of the town’s residents had decked out their homes with lights and other Christmas decorations. Some things were different, though, as they always were after a long absence. The large cross that was seen as you entered town had changed its lights. Now red and green lights replaced the all-white ones that had disturbingly made the cross look like a hate-crime in the past. The rundown row house that had once lined Main Street had been updated, and a new housing development sat on the lake. We were lucky, and there was a thin dusting of snow on the ground, a rarity for the state’s mild climate. It made everything seemed more magical.

_“Away in a manger_

_No crib for His bed_

_The little Lord Jesus_

_Lay down His sweet head…”_

Nona had a serene smile on her face as we stood in front of an old Baptist church and listened to a choir of local school children singing Christmas carols. I wrapped my arms around Nona’s waist from behind and couldn’t resist dropping a kiss to her rosy cheek.

_“The cattle are lowing_

_The poor Baby wakes_

_But little Lord Jesus_

_No crying He makes…”_

“I love this,” Nona said as she leaned back in my arms. “We should make this a yearly trip the week before Christmas.”

“Our own tradition.” I smiled at the thought of it. 

“Exactly.” Nona’s hands covered mine on her stomach. “Our first family tradition. You, me, and the baby will come to spend a few days here and then join Auntie Diana and Uncle Dave at the cabin just in time for Santa to visit.”

_“Bless all the dear children_

_In Thy tender care_

_And take us to Heaven_

_To live with Thee there.”_

I pulled away from Nona and grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face me. I looked at her, hopefully. “Sweetheart, are you having my baby?”

Nona smiled and nodded. “We got lucky on Thanksgiving. Congrats, Daddy.”

I pulled her to me and kissed her more passionately than was probably polite on church grounds. I didn’t care. I’m sure God would understand. 

“You know this means you’re marrying me right, sweetheart?” I spoke against her lips when we parted. I had the engagement ring waiting for her back in our hotel room. I had planned on giving it to her at dinner on our last night in town. Tonight worked too. 

“Damn right, I am.” Nona giggled before kissing me again.

**_ FINIS _ **


End file.
